


Notes Through The Door

by Lucky_Flowey



Series: 31 Lives and counting [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Social Anxiety, Trauma, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Papyrus (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2020-11-02 07:53:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20674853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky_Flowey/pseuds/Lucky_Flowey
Summary: Six skeletons arrive at their new house after Alphys and Undyne kicked them out...but the owner is no where to be seen.And why aren't they allowed in the shed at the back of the garden?





	1. HermitCrab

**Author's Note:**

> Why do I do this to myself? Starting another story while I have two others waiting for updates?? Coz I'm crazy and the ideas keep coming to my head. >.<

Prologue  
_______________________

APLHYS posted:  
Uggghhhhh, my roommates are going to kill each other soon! Either that or my fiancee will kill them. (Oh my god I love her so much she's just amazing)

ALPHYS posted:  
Anyone wanna take in a bunch of skeleton monsters? Lol 

StrongFish91 posted:  
Seriously though, someone take the damn nerds!!! I'll pay anything just get them out of my fucking house!!

CoolSkeleton posted:  
UNDYNE! THATS NO WAY TO ASK FOR A FAVOUR! 

StrongFish91 posted:  
NGAAHHH! PAPYRUS?? YOU WERENT SUPPOSED TO SEE THAT?!?!

punnyguy posted:  
cool it with the _fishy_ language there, 'dyne. srsly tho, if someone is renting a place arnd ebott lemme kno.

HermitCrab posted a link:  
8 bed, 3 bath house on acreage with a below ground pool and vegetable/fruit garden. Monsters welcome. 1 hour from Ebott city centre.

MagnificentSkeleton posted:  
WOWZERS THATS A NICE HOUSE!! 

punnyguy2 posted:  
sure is, bro. rents pretty good too. who's hermitcrab tho?

ALPHYS posted:  
HermitCrab! Coming to my rescue again uuuuggggghhh I love you (but not as much as Undyne. Oh my god I can't believe I said that?? I don't really love you like that but you knowlikeafriendimeanyouprobablydontevenlikemonstersthatwaysoididntmeantomakethisawkwardyourealwayssonicetomeandijustwantedtotellyouhowmuchoappreciateitUndynepleasestopmeomg)

StrongFish91 posted:  
Alphy! Calm down! The nerd probably didn't even take it like that! Besides if they did, they would have to FIGHT me first!!! FUHAHAHA

HermitCrab posted a gif:  
Two characters from a movie hugged each other with a caption: PLATONIC AWKWARD HUG TIME

ALPHYS posted a gif:  
Two characters hugging with a caption: Awkward sibling hug?

StrongFish91 posted:  
PFFT you dorks!!

punnyguy posted:  
so was that a srs offer for the hous? coz it seems pretty _surreal_ estate.

CoolSkeleton posted:  
OH MY GOD SANS

MagnificentSkeleton posted:  
UGGGGGGHHHHHHH

punnyguy2 posted:  
heh nice.

HermitCrab posted a picture:  
A man smiling with the caption: ITS FREE REAL ESTATE

HermitCrab posted a thumbs up emoji.

punnyguy3 posted:  
heyyy hermitcrab, a/s/l?

TheTerribleEdge posted:  
SA- RED! DONT BE DISGUSTING!

punnyguy3 posted:  
sorry boss......(not sorry)


	2. Keys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meetings...?

Today was the day. She was finally going to talk to someone. The new..._tenants? Neighbours? House-mates? Whatever! _They were arriving in half an hour to start moving into the main house. 

Elizabeth looked at herself in the mirror, running her hands down her pants to get rid of any creases. Not that that would help, but it calmed her nerves slightly to focus on it.  
She twisted her long brown braid into a bun and held it there in contemplation before releasing it with a frustrated sigh. It swung down and smacked her on the lower back as if scolding her for her indecision.  
Glancing at the clock, she pulled her hooded jacket around her and stepped out of the small shed-turned-home.  
She made sure no one was around as she crept through the garden; passed the vegetable patch, with fruit trees behind it; then a quick sprint across the lawn to hide against the wall of the house.  
Her heart beat frantically and she stopped to try calm her breathing. 

_It's going to be fine. They are going to show up and you'll give them a smile and shake their hands and introduced yourself. Wait is that order right? I should introduce myself first, right? Or during the handshake? But there's 6 of them? Do I say my name every time? That would probably be annoying. But then what if I only say it once and someone doesn't hear me? Oh god what if I mess up their names? What if I mess up MY name? _

Elizabeth sucked in a deep breath, eyes darting around as she slowly counted to 10.  
Then when that didn't work she counted to 20. Then 30...Two minutes passed when she felt calm enough to continue. 

She edged her way around the side of the house; making sure the coast was clear first. And dashed behind the hedges that lined the edge of the property. She crept behind them until she got to the huge tree that faced the front of the house. Elizabeth hid between the tree and the hedges to watch the drive way for the new arrivals.  
The house was a fair distance from the road, since the land was quite large. Apparently her uncle had been planning to build a farm and B'n'B for people who wanted the farm experience. There was even a half-built shed for cows that never arrived.

_Was it creepy for me to be waiting here like this? Would it frighten them if I just appeared from the bushes? Should I wait at the front door? Or maybe just inside the door so I can come out as they pull up instead of looking over-eager? _

As she was pondering, four vehicles came down the driveway. She ducked further behind her cover as she watched. A red convertible, black convertible, blue motorbike with a side car and a moving truck parked in the space in front of the house. At least a kind-of-decent parking lot had been built by her uncle.  
The six skeletons, a blue fish woman and a yellow dinosaur monster stepped out of the vehicles and gazed up at their new home.  
She recognised Alphys and Undyne from the dinosaur-woman's blog. They occasionally posted cute selfies together and Elizabeth had even drawn them as an engagement present.  
A short skeleton in blue and a tall one with a red scarf started chatting (loudly) excitedly about the house while a tall scary-looking skeleton seemed to be tearing it down with his words.  
The other three skeletons looked much more laid-back, just taking in the sights as Alphys and Undyne came to stand beside them.  
A word was passed between them that seemed to make them concerned as they all started looking around. The tall excited skeleton was already knocking on the door.  
Elizabeth realised she was supposed to be over there. She was supposed to be handing them the keys and welcoming them to the house.  
But suddenly there was so many people over there. If she went over they would all look at her and stare and there was no where to hide.  
Her breathing was coming out in short, panicked gasps and she was halfway up the tree before she even realised.  
She got to the platform she'd installed and grabbed her zipline.  
The young woman felt a heavy weight in her jacket pocket and quickly threw the item towards the newcomers before launching herself off the platform and zipping down the line towards her shed. She quickly dropped when she got to the roof and slipped into the ceiling hatch. Sitting to calm her breaths.

Today was the day...She chickened out again.

____________________________________________

Sans looked up at their new home. He smiled fondly as he watched his brother chatting away with Blue while Edge tried to bring down their cheer. _yeah, good luck with that, buddy._  
Currently the three loud skeletons were discussing how much gyftmas lights they would need to decorate it.  
Red stumbled up to stand beside Sans; his head was still pounding from the celebratory drinks from last night. Stretch chuckled at his pain and stood on Sans' other side. Red shot the taller a glare that just made Stretch laugh more.  
Red rolled his eyelights and finally looked at the house. He let out a whistle.  
"that's a lotta windows." He mumbled.  
Undyne slapped him on the back, earning a growl of annoyance (and pain).  
"YEP! Three stories-worth! This place is so big you guys could actually avoid each other if you wanted to!" The tall woman grinned in glee (with a hint of I'm-fed-up-with-your-shit).  
Alphys put an arm around her fiancee's waist while Undyne settled one over the shorter monster's shoulders.  
"W-where's H-H-Hermitcrab?" The small dinosaur monster asked, looking around while Papyrus banged the door knocker loudly.  
"She was sup-p-posed to me-meet us here."  
Undyne gave her furture-wife a squeeze.  
"Yeah! We wanted to thank her for the awesome picture she gave us! And for taking you dweebs out of our house!"  
That made them all search nervously for the missing HermitCrab.  
Sans was about to say something when he heard a jingle of metal hitting the rocky path.  
He picked up the large ring of keys just as Stretch coughed on his cigarette.  
"woah" the taller, hoodie-wearing skeleton said, patting his chest to dispel the smoke from his absent lungs.  
"what?" Red asked, looking between Stretch and the treetops that he found so interesting.  
Stretch chuckled, lighting another cigarette since his other one had fallen to the ground.  
"didn't know humans could fly."  
"What the hell are you talking about, Stretch?" Undyne growled, searching the sky.  
"I-i saw it too." Alphys giggled, "I-I-I think HermitCrab is a little Sh-shy. She took o-off down that sw-swing thing."  
The small monster pointed and they gathered around to see the rope she was indicating.  
Sans tossed the keys in his hand up, making them jingle before catching them once more.  
"guess she wasn't too fond of monsters after all." He grumbled.  
"No way, dude! HermitCrab is super pro-monster! Why would she offer you the house if she wasn't?" Undyne argued, snatching the keys and stomping up to the front door, "She's probably just shy like Alphy said! She'll come around!"  
Sans rolled his eyelights as they all followed the fish monster through the door.  
The more boisterous monsters ran to pick the best rooms just as Sans felt his phone ringing. Stretch got dragged away by his brother and Undyne and Alphys went to check the dining area. Sans and Red flopped onto the couch in the living area as the blue-hoodie wearer took out his phone.  
"hey." He answered.  
A long sigh came through the phone.  
"Hi it's Janet! I just got an email from the homeowner. She said she's sorry she couldn't meet you and wants to know if you got the keys ok?" A woman's voice chirped. It was the estate agent that had given them the tour a week ago.  
Sans looked over to Red, who raised an eyeridge in question.  
"yeah, we got the keys. she just threw them at us and ran away." Sans shrugged.  
An irritated scoff was barely covered by her throat clearing.  
"Well, it's good you got the keys, otherwise you would've had to wait for me to come open up the house. Sorry about Elizabeth. She's a little....strange. Even when I went there to get the paperwork sorted, she didnt even open the door!" Janet ranted, "I was sliding the papers under the door for her to sign! And then when I asked for identification and to see her face to check it. Do you know what she did??"  
Sans shrugged with a non-commital mumble.  
Janet continued, "She took a Polaroid of herself and slid that under the door! Didn't even let me see her!"  
That got a chuckle from the short skeleton. Red shrugged his arms in a "What?" gesture; clearly wanting to know the joke.  
Sans waved him off.  
"Anyway! She's kinda strange so you'll have to get used to that. She wrote to say that the shed in the back of the yard is off-limits. I'm pretty sure she lives there so yeaaahh." Janet trailed off, " Oh! She also says you can help yourself to the vegetables and fruits that shes growing but dont eat them all since she needs them. And that's it! Have fun in your new home!"  
Sans gave her an appreciative humm and a "thanks" as they both hung up.  
"so, what was tha' about?" The slightly-larger monster asked, sinking lower on the couch.  
"the lady from last time explaining where we aren't allowed." Sans answered. He immediately regretted it when he saw the glimmer in Red's sockets.


	3. Yeet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkwardness and anxiety attacks...but she's trying?

Before Red could ask, Edge's scream echoed through the house.  
"SANS! COME UNPACK YOUR STUFF YOU LAZY SHIT!"  
Red winced, rubbing his skull with an annoyed grumble. Then he was gone.  
Sans chuckled before teleporting to the second floor where his brother was. Papyrus had already gotten his bed set up somehow and was now putting his action figures on the drawers provided.  
"THERE YOU ARE, BROTHER! YOU BETTER HURRY AND GET YOUR ROOM SORTED! UNDYNE AND ALPHYS HAVE TO RETURN THE MOVING TRUCK AT THE END OF THE DAY!"  
Sans shoved his hands in his pockets; his left eye flashed with magic before his regular lights returned.  
They both heard a startled yelp from the room next door.  
"done." The shorter skeleton grinned.  
"WHO'S STUFF IS IN MY ROOM?" Blue's loud voice called through the wall.  
Papyrus crossed his arms and gave his brother a disapproving stare.  
Sans shrugged, his grin pulling wider in amusement. The younger brother rolled his eyes and continued his arrangements. Sans strolled into the corridor to see Blue pushing two boxes out of the next room, grumbling about laziness.

Sans, Papyrus, Blue and Stretch took the rooms on the second floor while the Fell brothers took two rooms above them. It wasn't long before everything was unpacked and Undyne and Alphys left to return the truck (and enjoy having their home to themselves).

___________________

Once the email was sent, Elizabeth slumped against her bed on the floor. She rubbed her eyes in frustration.  
_I can't believe I ran away like that. Now they probably think I'm a huge jerk_

Her eyes widened in panic. 

_Oh god. What if they think I ran away because they're monsters?? Shit I look like a huge racist! Specie-ist? Whatever! They're gonna think I hate monsters!_

She let out a long-suffering moan as she pulled her pillow off the bed and shoved it in her face. She really hoped they didn't see her run and just thought she was too busy to come see them. Deciding to believe that thought, she pulled together her shattered confidence and walked over to get fridge. 

It was looking a little empty. She had forgotten to stock up in favor of cleaning the main house for the last week. It had already been pretty clean for their first tour but it helped her feel less anxious so she scrubbed till every surface shined. 

Closing the fridge door, she picked up the wicker basket beside the front door.  
She hesitated. Then shook off the nervousness that had started building.

_They're busy unpacking today! They're probably going to be inside the house all day._ She reasoned, finally stepping out the door.

____________________

It was about 4pm when Blue finished organising his room and dragged his brother outside to inspect the yard.  
Stretch followed with a chuckle, lollipop hanging from his teeth, lazily.  
First the pool was inspected. Blue's eyelights had almost permanently turned to stars since they arrived in the morning.  
Stretch didn't even bother trying to keep up with his brother, just watching him bounce all around the backyard was making him tired. So he just followed at a leisurely pace, soaking in the warm sunlight.  
His relaxed demeanor vanished in an instant when he heard his brothers voice.  
"HUMAN?"  
Stretch whipped around to see Blue in the vegetable garden, looking down at a crouched figure.  
The hoodie-wearing skeleton strolled over quickly, trying to seem curious rather than tense.  
The crouching figure was the young woman he'd seen earlier. She wasn't crouching, she was sprawled on the floor as if she'd been startled and fell. A basket laid on its side beside her; various fruits spilling out.  
She wasn't looking at Blue. Her eyes were firmly locked on the ground between them.  
He could see the sweat starting to gather on her brow and her breathing started to quicken. Her eyes glazed over in panic.  
He gathered his magic as subtle as he could in case she attacked.  
It wouldn't be the first time a panicked human attacked them in fear.  
"ah, you're the kid that flew away before. sorry about my bro. didn't mean to give you a _flight_." He said, hoping a joke would calm her down.  
Her gaze snapped to his shoes, eyes widening and a bead of sweat running down her cheek.  
Slowly, she crawled backwards before picking herself up. She held her hands beside her sides, clenching and unclenching. Her eyes darted around but never landed on either of the monsters in front of her.  
Stretch took a step closer to his brother, ready to pull him away if needed. Blue seemed to sense the Human's fright since he kept his voice quiet.  
"Human, It's Nice To Meet You. Are You The One That Allowed Us To Stay Here? We Are Very Grateful!" The shorter brother's voice was calm and gentle, making the human relax slightly.  
She opened and closed her mouth, as if she was trying to speak but couldn't get the words out.  
Finally, her eyes drifted up to Blue's face. She only got as far as his teeth before she wrenched her eyes away.  
In a matter of seconds she took a breath, yelled something at the brothers and dived into the bush beside her. The two skeletons stood frozen as then listened to the rustling of bushes getting further away. They followed the sound with their eyes until it got to the edge of the vegetable garden; where the human emerged and bolted to the shed a couple metres away.  
Once the door slammed shut, Stretch doubled over, laughter wracking his frame and tears of mirth gathering in his sockets.

_"I'm not racist! W-welcometothehouse!" who yells that??? did she seriously just jump into the bushes to escape the awkward situation? what the hell??_

"PAPY! DONT LAUGH AT THE HUMAN! SHE SEEMED VERY DISTRESSED!" Blue scolded, even as he tried to hold back his own giggles.  
Stretch lost it again when he heard the long embarrassed groan from the shed.  
All his thoughts on the human being dangerous were thrown from his mind. He was sure now; she was just incredibly awkward and nervous.

_______________________

Once Elizabeth slammed the door behind her, she sank onto the floor. She was panting hard from adrenaline.  
She could hear someone laughing outside.  
"PAPY! DONT LAUGH AT THE HUMAN! SHE SEEMED VERY DISTRESSED!"  
Elizabeth buried her face in her arms that rested on her knees and groaned in embarrassment. The laughing started up again, making her face burst into colour.

She sat there for a while, listening to the laughter calm down as the louder skeleton scolded the other one. Every now and then though it would start up again.  
Elizabeth didn't know skeleton monsters could have "the giggles" but it seems like they can, since he would start up again without any prompting.  
She was a little worried if he was going to run out of breath. _Do skeletons need to breathe?_

Suddenly she slapped her hand to her forehead. She'd forgotten her basket. She'll have to wait for them to leave before she goes to get it. In fact, she might just wait till night to go get food from now on. She doesn't want something like this to happen again.

_NO! I can't keep avoiding them! The point of having them move in was to get used to people again. I can't just hide away all my life...or...however long I have this time..._

She was startled out of her (depressing) thoughts by footsteps coming closer. She froze as her anxiety spiked. Were they going to try talking to her again? Did they want her to explain herself?

The footsteps stopped at her door, then something was placed on the ground and the footsteps backed up.  
"Human. I Know We Can Seem Scary, But I Hope We Can Become Friends." A soothing voice came through the door.  
It was the same voice that helped push away her anxiety back in the garden. She thinks it came from the short blue-clothed skeleton she had seen.  
She could heard someone shift from foot to foot outside; probably thinking of something else to say to make her feel better. He seemed like the kind that would worry about others. It made her smile.  
"c'mon bro, she probably won't come out if we're standing here. we'll all get to know each other eventually. after all, who doesn't wanna be friends with such a cool guy?" Another voice said.  
This voice was pretty chill, though a little deeper with a slightly rough tone. He sounded like a smoker.  
She chuckled as the footsteps receeded and the smaller skeleton replied.  
"OF COURSE! THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE IS AN AMAZING FRIEND TO MANY! MWEHEHE! JUST YOU WAIT, HUMAN! ONE DAY WE'LL BE THE BEST OF FRIENDS!"

They continued to chatter (Well, Blue did) as they walked back to the house. Once the voices faded, Elizabeth peeked through the blinds covering the small window on her door before opening it.  
On the step was her basket, piled high with fruit and vegetables. She hadn't picked this much earlier; the skeletons must have gotten them for her.  
She smiled, gratefully as she brought it inside and closed the door.

_Thank goodness. Maybe everything will turn out ok after all..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time thinking of who should discover her first. My love of the swap bros won out haha.
> 
> Also if someone can draw Elizabeth screaming and throwing herself into bushes and the brothers reactions, that would be amazing. Every time I see it in my head I snort-laugh.


	4. Crossword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans meets the human.

Stretch and Blue explained what happened when they got back to the house. Stretch had to stop and calm down a few times at the image in his head. Red was laughing loudly. Edge tried to scowl but had to hide a huff of amusement behind his hand. Papyrus seemed concerned; asking if she was uninjured by her fall and leap into the bushes. Sans was quiet.  
Stretch thought he would've laughed like Red did but he also knew how cautious Sans was around humans.  
Sans white eyelights flicked to the tall, lazy skeleton.  
"so, what did you think of her?" The short skeleton asked, one JUDGE to another.  
Red tensed at the tone, all humour gone.  
Stretch didn't change his demeanour, making the other two relax slightly.  
"she's awkward but harmless." He reasoned.  
"I FEEL BAD FOR STARTLING HER. SHE SEEMED VERY NERVOUS." Blue added, folding his arms with a nod.  
Then his sockets opened, eyelights flickering to large blue stars.  
"SHE WAS PRETTY CUTE, THOUGH!" He admitted, "RIGHT BROTHER?"  
Stretch did a double-take, staring at his brother in shock. He thought back to the human; she seemed pretty average but that's not what he was focusing on. He shrugged.  
"didn't get a good look _tibia_ honest."  
Blue, Papyrus and Edge groaned while Sans and Red snickered.  
"THAT ASIDE, MAYBE WE SHOULD MAKE HER SOMETHING FOR DINNER? AFTER ALL, SHE DID LET US INTO HER HOME!" Papyrus suggested.  
Sans patted his tall brother on the arm.  
"maybe not just yet, paps. the lady from last week said we weren't allowed to go to the back shed where she lives." The short skeleton revealed.  
Papyrus narrowed his eyes at his brother.  
"MISS JANIS-" "janet" "JANET TALKED TO YOU? I'VE BEEN MESSAGING HER ALL WEEK AND SHE HASN'T REPLIED!"  
Sans glared at nothing for a fraction of a second before smiling at Papyrus.  
"she's probably just nervous to have such a cool guy for a friend."  
"PFFT! AS IF! SHE'S IGNORING YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE IRRITATING!" Edge accused, crossing his long legs.  
Sans eyelights winked out as he looked at the edgy version of his brother. He calmed down when Papyrus seemed to ignore the harsh comment.  
"INDEED! SHE MUST BE HAVING A HARD TIME THINKING WHAT TO SAY! I SHOULD REASSURE HER THAT, EVEN THOUGH I AM QUITE GREAT, SHE DOESNT NEED TO MATCH MY GREATNESS IN ORDER TO BE MY FRIEND!" The joyful skeleton whipped out his flip phone to do just that.  
Sans felt a little bad for the woman, but if she didn't want to be his friend then that was her loss.  
"so that shed is where the little lady lives?" Red inquired, gazing out the window to the backyard.  
The sun had started setting, letting them see how the light in the shed was on.  
"SANS, I HOPE YOU'RE NOT THINKING OF SOMETHING DISGUSTING? SHE'S A HUMAN FOR STARS SAKE!" Edge groaned, disgust all over his face.  
Red looked back at his brother and just winked in response. His grin was decidedly lewd.  
Sans rubbed his forehead in exasperation.  
"probably not a good idea to harass the person who's giving us a house, red."  
Red scoffed, rolling his eyelights, "it ain't harassment if she likes it."

___________ 

Despite what he implied, Red stayed away from the shed for the first week.  
The only time the human was spotted was once when Papyrus, Edge and Blue were going for a jog around the property very early in the morning.  
They observed her empty out a bucket of dirty water into a flowerbed before she noticed them, gave a hesitant wave and hurried away. Her eyes never connected with theirs.  


It was now Sunday afternoon and the lazy skeletons were just coming down for late breakfast. Sans grabbed the newspaper his brother had brought in and started flicking through.  
Red slumped onto the dining table, almost immediately falling back to sleep. Stretch sat turned in his own chair, legs propped up onto the one beside him as he twirled a lollipop in his mouth.  
The energetic trio were currently cooking in the kitchen, occasionally arguing about the best dish.  
Just as lunch was served, Sans turned the page of the paper. He stilled in surprise.  
Stretch was the first to notice. He took his feet of the adjacent chair after a glare from his brother and turned his gaze to the original.  
"bad news?" He asked, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket.  
Sans blinked, then turned the paper to the group; who were all looking curiously.  
Red snorted in amusement when he saw the crossword had been cut out.  
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PUZZLE? I WANTED TO TRY IT!" Blue sulked. Papyrus nodded in agreement.  
The lazy brother shrugged and they all turned to Edge.  
The spiky skeleton huffed, crossing his arms.  
"I DIDNT TAKE IT! AS IF I WANT TO DO THAT BABYBONES PUZZLE ANYWAY!"  
Blue gasped, his eyelights turning to stars again.  
"MAYBE THE HUMAN TOOK IT?? MAYBE SHE LIKES PUZZLES!"  
Papyrus gasped as well, cupping his face with a large grin.  
The two exuberant skeletons looked to each other and started bouncing on the balls of their feet excitedly.  
"IF SHE LIKES PUZZLES, MAYBE SHE WILL LET US SET SOME UP IN THE YARD??" The taller one sang, turning to the back door.  
Sans seemed to see his intention and stood quickly.  
"uhh, paps! don't you remember? we aren't allowed to go to the shed?" He sweated slightly.  
Papyrus turned to him, visibly upset, "BUT HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT HOUSE-RELATED PROBLEMS IF WE CANNOT TALK TO THE OWNER?"  
The room was quiet for a moment before Sans sighed and started walking to the back door.  
"i guess i'll ask her then, anything else you guys wanna ask her?"  
Edge wanted to set up traps. Red opened his mouth to ask something but the look in his eyes made Sans shut that down quickly and the edgy version pouted (Though he would never admit he pouted).  
With a heavy sigh, the original pun-lover stepped out of the house.

He grimaced at the thought of speaking to a strange human as he trudged towards the small building at the back of the yard.  
Maybe he could just lie and tell Paps that the human said no? Maybe Papyrus wouldn't want to be friends with her then.  
An image of Papyrus looking broken hearted crossed his mind; making him shake away the idea.  
Making puzzles was very important to monsters; his tall brother in particular. Especially since it's how he 'befriended' Frisk. His excitable brother now seemed to think that was the way to befriend all humans.  
Sans glared at the door as he realised he had arrived.  
He shuffled from foot to foot, nervously, before knocking twice.  
He heard something clatter and fall inside, followed by feet rushing around.  
The door didn't open but he heard the footsteps come closer.  
"Um...who-um yes?" A female voice mumbled through the thick wood.  
Sans raised a brow bone, feeling the sweat gather on his skull.  
"usually you answer 'who's there?'" He prompted.  
The female made a quiet gasp, "Oh umm, sorry. Um who's uhh, who's there?" She sounded unsure.  
Sans rolled his shoulders back, trying to relax a bit even though he knew she couldn't see him.  
"candice"  
She paused for a moment, he wondered if she knew he was trying to make a joke.  
"Umm, Candice who?"  
He grinned wider. He almost felt like he was back underground; knocking on the door to the ruins. Maybe that's why he felt the anxiousess melt away.  
"candice door open?"  
He chuckled when he heard her small huff of amusement.  
Then she was quiet. He wondered if she would take it as a request.  
His sockets widened as he heard the doorknob rattle a little. It twisted and then stopped.  
He heard her whimper. The short skeleton felt his eyes darken in suspicion.  
The knob rattled once more, she must've let go since it spun back into place.  
"....Sorry..." she mumbled, "I'm not...Umm...Good with people."  
_You mean monsters _ he thought, bitterly.  
Outwardly, he shrugged.  
"just wanted to ask some questions about the house, anyway. can you do that?"  
He couldn't help the slight harshness to his tone, noting the resulting whimper through the door.  
"Uhh, yeah...probably..." she took a deep breath. "What's the problem?"  
The sudden confidence in her voice threw him a little but he quickly recovered.  
"we noticed a piece of the paper missing this morning. some of us seem to think you took it?"  
Suddenly there was a lot of rushing around and rustling from the other side of the door. After a moment she came back, slipping something through the crack.  
He pulled it out to note it was a photocopy of the crossword.  
"Sorry, I thought I would have time to umm...return it later." Her voice was so quiet he had to lean on the door frame to hear.  
"well, that sorted: my brother and some other...family members wanted to know if they can do a bit if remodeling in the yard. they want to set up a bunch of puzzles."  
A small gasp, "Oh! Umm, sure! That-umm- that sounds fun, actually..."  
Sans decided not to mention the traps. He noted to himself to tell Edge that he could as long as they weren't harmful. The short skeleton didn't think this...jittery human would be able to handle something like that.  
With that said, he said a short "bye".  
As he was turning around though, he heard the door creak.  
His sockets widened when he saw her peak through, though her gaze was on his slippers.  
"Umm...If you...." she chewed her lip, fingers flexing on the door as if fighting not to close it. She took another breath and seemed to calm slightly.  
"If you need anything....don't Umm....don't be afraid to...ask." she offered, her fingers turning white as she tightened her grip on the wood.  
Sans blinked at her for a moment, which seemed to make her nervous as a slight sheen of sweat started on her forehead.  
"sure."  
He saw her almost collapse in relief as he stepped away. Her eyes still somewhere on the ground as she smiled and started closing the door.  
"I'm...Umm...Liz...by the way."  
All he could see was one eye, that had creeped up to rest somewhere on his chest.  
"sans, sans the skeleton." 

The door closed after a polite nod.

Papyrus and Blue immediately started planning when they heard the news.  
Sans went over the interaction in his head.  
Not once had he felt in danger. Maybe Stretch was right? Awkward but harmless


	5. One down...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One skeleton down...

Over the weekend Papyrus, Blue and Edge (and Red since Edge ordered him) worked on the outdoor puzzles and traps. Blue and Papyrus tried to get their brothers to help but they kept 'accidentally' doing it wrong and were banned.  
The project started with them fighting about what to have where until the lazy skeletons suggested they make it like an obstacle course. Edge pretended it was his idea.

So they divided up lawn into thirds and got to work. Papyrus and Blue bounced between sections to help out but were chased away by the edgy skeleton and decided to help each other instead.

Monday afternoon, everything was set.  
Blue wiped his forehead (even though he didn't work up a sweat at all) and gazed at their creation. The stars in his eyes brightened in excitement.  
Papyrus came to stand next to him and the two shared proud smiles.  
Edge wandered around their sections, scoffing at their work but making no move to change them.  
Blue heard Papyrus gasp and looked up at the tall skeleton.  
Papyrus bounced in place, staring across the lawn. Blue followed his eyeline just in time to see the curtains of the shed swing back into place.  
He felt something pulse in his rib cage and his star-lights spun; grin pulling wider.  
"hmm lookin' good bro." Stretch strolled over to his brother, shoving a lollipop in his mouth.  
Blues eyes lingered on the shed before turning to his brother, fists on his hips.  
"OF COURSE! A MAGNIFICENT JOB BY THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY! AND OF COURSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"  
Papyrus grinned down at his friend for a moment and then posed heroically. Sans appeared in that moment, as if his brother's coolness summoned him.  
"so cool bro." The short, lazy skeleton admitted.  
"NYEH HEH HEH! NOTHING LESS THAN THE BEST FOR OUR TRAINING AND FRIEND-MAKING!" Papyrus bolted to the start of the obstacle to test it out.  
Blue followed quickly and Edge joined them, challenging them to a race.  
Sans turned to his brother's lazy copy, about to make a joke but stopped at the look on his face. Stretch was smiling gently into the distance. The orange-clad skeleton glanced at Sans and nodded his head towards the shed.  
Sans took a look and froze when he saw the curtain parted slightly and an eye poking out.   
The eye watched the excited skeletons as they went through the course, until it seemed to sense his gaze. The eye turned to him, widened and disappeared behind the curtain.   
"seems like the mouse is pretty shy, huh?" Red's voice rumbled from the other side of Sans.   
Sans looked at his double and grimaced at the predatory look on his face. 

__________________

Elizabeth was excited. She'd been watching the skeletons all weekend to see what they were doing in the yard. She never expected them to build an obstacle course with puzzles through it. It was like an adult playground.  
She bounced in anticipation.

She wanted to try it out; but she knew it wasn't possible while there were so many people out there. Maybe if there was just one? But that never seemed to be the case. She didn't know why but they were always in -at least- pairs.

She resigned herself to try it once they'd gone to bed. The young woman sighed.

_______________

Blue and Papyrus kept watch of the obstacle course for their potential human friend all day. They sat at the first floor windows and peeked through the blinds after they realised she wouldn't come out if she could see them.

Still, she didn't appear.

The two sadly gave up once it became time for bed. Papyrus looked to see Blue's disheartened face and perked up.  
He slapped a hand on the smaller skeletons back as they ascended the stairs.  
"NOT TO WORRY! I'M SURE SHE IS JUST WAITING FOR US TO BE CLOSE FRIENDS BEFORE TESTING OUR PUZZLES! PERHAPS SHE THINKS SHE NEEDS TO GET PERMISSION FIRST?" The tall skeleton reassured his friend. They grinned at each other and Blue straightened his posture.  
"OF COURSE! TOMORROW WE SHOULD LEAVE A NOTE TO TELL HER SHE IS WELCOME TO IT! MWEH HEH HEH!"  
Their spirits lifted, they raced to bed and tucked in just as their respective brothers came to read their stories.

Sans was almost finished Fluffy Bunny when Papyrus's door burst open and Blue rushed in.  
Before Papyrus could protest, Blue shushed him and motioned to the window.  
Stretch sauntered into the room with a smirk as they gathered around the window.

Sure enough, they could see a small figure creeping towards the start of the obstacle.   
The moonlight lit up the backyard just enough to make out Elizabeth's form.  
She took her time inspecting the first puzzle, made by Papyrus. It was an X O puzzle in the shape of his face with barriers to stop cheating. She tried it 3 times before solving it with an enthusiastic leap of joy and moved on to the tire obstacle.  
She hopped between them with only a slight wobble and came to Blue's puzzle.  
Blue decided to make a sliding puzzle that when completed made a picture of Blue giving a victory sign.   
Once she finished it she froze, staring at the picture.   
Blue leant closer to the window, trying to discern her reaction. _DOES SHE NOT LIKE IT?_ he fretted. He reached up to fiddle with his bandana nervously but it wasn't there so he just clenched the front of his rocket pajamas.   
Stretch glanced at his brother, seeing his eyelights shrinking in worry. The taller skeleton was about to pat his shoulder when they all heard a noise from outside.  
Blue's eyelights blew wide at the sound of her amused laughter.   
It tinkled through the night air and up to the house. There was something so... relieved and happy about her laugh.   
The blue-eyed skeleton felt something throb in his chest; his eye lifts warping shape.  
Stretch gasped in shock and Blue turned to him.   
"b-bro..."  
Blue blinked in confusion. Sans and Papyrus were starting at him too. He looked down at himself but saw nothing out of place.   
"What?" He whispered, trying not to startle Elizabeth away.   
He wanted to look back outside to see her. His chest throbbed again at the thought, but the worry on his brother's face made him stop.  
Papyrus rummaged around in his bedside table and handed him a small mirror.   
Blue looked skeptical before taking a look at himself.   
His eyes widened and he gasped.   
In his sockets were not his usual circles or stars... but soul shapes.   
His grin turned huge as he gave into his ushers and turned back to the window, bouncing on place. He watched her yawn and shuffle back into the shed, giving the rest of the obstacle a weary glance.  
"I'm Gonna Date Her So Much!" He whispered excitedly.  
Sans patted the orange-orange-clad skeleton in pity as Stretch's face turned to despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stretch: sans no!  
Blue: SANS YES


	6. Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth makes a decision.

Elizabeth made a decision. She would make friends with the skeletons.

...or...some of them at least...

...one of them at least...

The puzzle she did tonight made her feel so relieved. The picture of the blue skeleton didn't make her nervous at all and she knew why.

He didn't have eyeballs like humans did. She didn't know why she thought he would have? But she didnt want to assume either way and offend anyone...

Even though she knew he was looking at the camera (and therefore straight at her) in the picture, she didn't have the feeling of _eyes on her. Watching her every move. J u d g i n g h e r_

She shook the thoughts away as she moved toward her bed; throwing her shirt off and putting on a baggy one to sleep in.

So she decided: She wanted to try talking to them.

Maybe she could actually look at their faces.

Tomorrow morning, she nodded to herself, in the morning she would talk to them.

A feeling blossomed in her chest beside her heart; a promise.

_________________________________

_Okay, no problem. You can do this! There's two of them outside right now. One of them seems to be the one in the picture?_ she thought, pressed against her door and peeking out the small window.

She recalled the first time she talked to any of the skeletons. _Oh right, he was there too. He seemed nice. Maybe I should thank him?? He did get me fruit and stuff. And I guess I should mention his puzzle too? Maybe we can discuss different puzzles? I can do that! Yep! No problem! Here I go!_

...

..... Here I go....

.......................

She ripped the door open before she could back out and let the self-deprecating thoughts start. Apparently the two skeletons outside didn't expect that and jolted slightly from the noise. They spun to face her.

Elizabeth fixed her eyes on the ground in front of her as she gulped down her nerves and stepped out of her shed. Her long brown skirt gently moved with each step. She smoothed her lavender coloured blouse to give her hands something to do.

They watched her quietly as she moved towards them; cautious but determined.

Finally, she stopped a metre or two away from them, clenching her fists. She summoned her courage - what little she had- and looked up from his feet to the shorter one's face.

She blinked in surprise at his patient smile. Even though his eyelights sparkled with excitement and...

_His eyes are stars?!?! What the hell??? Thatssocute_

They all took a second to study each other. They both seemed to be in casual clothing; not like the strange armour she had seen on the first day.

The shorter one only came up to Lizs eyeline; meaning she had to look down to look him in the eye...lights. He was wearing dark blue jeans with colourful patches, a grey shirt with something messily written on it and a sky blue jacket. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. She then noticed he also wore a bright blue bandanna around his neck.

Liz wondered why she had been so worried before. Sure, she was nervous but it didn't feel like either had any negativity. She looked to the taller skeleton to see that he also didn't have eyeballs -to her relief(As strange as that sounds). She recognised him as the other excitable skeleton she had seen the first day. He grinned down at her, almost proudly. She flushed in embarrassment.

He was wearing similar attire to his smaller companion. Except his jeans were washed out and cropped into short shorts. His shirt was bright orange with a darker orange jacket and a red scarf. His jacket was adorned with various pins. She marvelled at his ability to pull off so many bright colours so well. He was a couple of heads taller than her so she had to crane her neck back to look at him. She felt bad for the shorter skeletons.

They all seemed to realise at the same time that the silence had gone on for too long.

"Uhm Thank you for-"

"Did You Like Th-"

"HUMAN-"

They all froze, the skeletons exchanged glances.

Elizabeth felt her shoulders hunching over in nervousness.   
_Oh geez, I fucked up_   
Her eyes darted all around to find a quick escape from the awkward situation but stilled when she heard a snicker. 

She looked at the skeletons cautiously. They were both trying to hide their laughter behind a hand. She fidgeted as her face burst into red.

"Sorry, We Are Just Happy That You Came To Talk To Us!" The Blue one told her, offering his hand to her, "I'm The Magificent Blue! And This Is The Great Papyrus!"

Elizabeth gave a wobbly smile back and hesitantly shook his hand. "I'm Elizabeth but most people call me Liz."

"THAT'S A WONDERFUL NAME HUMAN LIZ!" Papyrus took her other hand and shook it enthusiastically. The woman gave a startled laugh as she was jolted with the action.

"Did You Like Our Puzzles?" Blue asked, turning her attention back to him. She still had trouble looking at anyone's face for too long so she fixed her eyes on his bandanna.  
"Oh! Uhh yeah-yes! Uhh thank you. They uhm were very fun..." She twisted her hands nervously into the bottom of her shirt; shuffling her feet.  
Blue's grin widened as his eyelights started to wobble and distort. His brow creased for a fraction of a second before they solidified back to stars. Not that Elizabeth noticed of course.   
"EXCELLENT! OUR PUZZLES ARE THE BEST FRIEND-MAKING TOOL! I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD WORK THIS WELL THOUGH." Papyrus rubbed his chin, glancing to his short friend. He mumbled something about his powers being too strong.  
Liz whipped her eyes up to him, shocked.  
"You...uhh...want to be friends??"   
Papyrus put his hand on her shoulder, surprisingly gentle. "OF COURSE! ANYONE WILLING TO HOUSE 6 STRANGERS AT SHORT NOTICE IS DEFINITELY FRIEND-MATERIAL!"  
She gave a sheepish smile.   
"Umm, th- that sound great!" 

Papyrus' face lit up with unending joy and he practically vibrated on the spot.  
"HUMAN LIZ, MAY I GIVE YOU A HUG?"  
She blinked up at him, meeting his eyesockets to find little sparkles in them.  
She snorted a laugh and nodded.  
She barely had a moment to register that her feet left the ground and she was being spun around in the tall skeleton's arms.  
She yelped in surprise before clinging to him to make sure she wouldn't be dropped.  
Then, when she realised he wasnt going to drop her, she started laughing joyfully.  
Papyrus joined in with his own strange and cute "NYEH HEH HEH!"   
When he finally put her down, she was out of breath but still giggling under her breath.  
"I think that was the best hug I've ever had." She commented, tucking a loose hair back out of her face.  
Papyrus put on hand on his hip and his other on his chest, looking quite heroic.  
"OF COURSE! SKELETONS ARE VERY CUDDLY, YOU KNOW. AND I AM THE BEST HUGGER!"  
Elizabeth giggled once more, giving him a thumbs up.

She turned back to Blue to see the warmest look on his face. His eyelights were strange blob shapes and his smile was wide and happy.  
Red colouring burst along her cheeks and made her ears burn with embarrassment.

Blue seemed to notice her gaze and straightened his posture. His eyes snapped back into stars as he gave a cheerful "MWEH Heh Heh! Of Course We Want To Be Friends!"

She didn't notice his cheekbones turn bright blue and his eyes turn to hearts as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders for a hesitant, but grateful, hug.

She was pretty proud to have made two new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue: -struggling not to wear his heart in his sockets-  
Papyrus: -makes Liz laugh-  
Blue: -sweats heavily-


	7. Interruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has trust issues...for good reason.

Sans was upstairs browsing through the large library when he happened to look out the window.  
Panic flooded his soul when he saw the human's arms around Blue's neck.  
Flashes of red and dust in the snow echoed through him; making him choke in alarm.  
He was downstairs in a pulse of magic, throwing the back door open just as the human pulled away with a startled jump.

She backed away from Blue, her gaze turned towards Sans as he watched her.

He used his Judgement to see her EXP. It was 0, but he didn't let up his suspicion.

Just because she hadn't hurt anyone yet, doesn't mean she wouldn't.

She shifted from foot to foot nervously, glancing between Sans' slippers to Blue and Papyrus's chest. She took a step back toward her shed.

"W-well, uhm..it was uhh nice talking to you...uhm." She glanced backward to her escape route.

Sans kept watching her, feeling himself relax with each step she took further from the skeletons.

That's when he noticed Blue glaring at him and Papyrus's disappointed frown. He blinked in surprise, looking between them and the human.

Blue spun back to Liz, his friendly grin back in place. Papyrus followed suit.

"Of Course, Miss Liz! We Enjoyed Talking To You As Well!" He told her. He was so proud when her eyes met his. But, he wasn't a fan of the unsure smile she gave. He would have to fix that.

"YES! WE WOULD LOVE TO TALK AGAIN! MAYBE EVEN 'HANG OUT'!" Papyrus joined, sparkles lighting up his sockets in joy.

Liz looked up to the tall skeleton, her smile becoming a bit more real as she nodded.

"I'd love that." She admitted, twisting her fingers together nervously. 

Then her eyes flickered to Sans. Said skeleton twitched in shock when her eyes met his before landing back on his slippers.

"Uhm...anyway...I have to uhh...I gotta..."

Blue closed the distance, holding her hands gently. She flinched and red blossomed across her cheeks when she looked to his face.

"We Understand. You Can Come Talk To Us Anytime! We're Friends, After All!"

She gave him a grateful smile that made Blue clamp down on his magic before his eyelights changed shape. He couldn't risk scaring her off with his feelings.

She pulled away and retreated to her shed, sending her two friends a smile before closing the door.

Blue whirled around to Sans, who looked confused but suspicious.

"She Was Finally Coming To Talk On Her Own!" Blue growled almost quietly to his counterpart, "She Was Getting More Relaxed Around Us And You Scared Her Off!" He accused, stomping past the lazy skeleton and into the house.

Sans watched him go then turned to his brother with a shrug, pun at the ready. But the look on his brother's face made him freeze.

Papyrus stood over his brother, hands on his hips and annoyed look on his face.

"I KNOW YOU DONT TRUST HUMANS, BROTHER. BUT FRIEND LIZ HAS DONE NOTHING TO WARRANT YOU SCARING HER LIKE THAT." He scolded.

Sans pulled his head into the collar of his jacket in shame, trying to shrink away from the disappointment radiating from his sibling.

"i just..." Papyrus crossed his arms, waiting for an excuse, "...sorry paps." Sans mumbled, staring at his slippers instead.

He felt his brothers large hand pat his skull.

"GOOD. AND WHEN FRIEND LIZ IS FEELING BETTER YOU WILL TELL HER THAT TOO AND BECOME FRIENDS ALSO." 

Sans sighed. He could never say no to his brother.

__________________________________

That night, Liz found a slip of paper under her door.

**MISS LIZ,**

**IT WAS WONDERFUL TALKING WITH YOU TODAY! I AM VERY GLAD WE BECAME FRIENDS.**

**IF YOU LIKE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN PAPYRUS AND I FOR FRIENDSHIP-COOKING SOMETIME?**

**OR WE CAN HAVE A PUZZLE DAY! OR WHATEVER YOU LIKE TO DO!**

**YOU CAN COME TALK TO ME ANYTIME!**

**YOURS TRULY,  
THE MAGNIFICENT <s>SA</s> BLUE**

With a giddy grin, Liz propped the letter up on her bookshelf and got out her drawing pad and pencils.

She had some work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhhhhh...i wrote this in a day....so...hopefully it's alright haha.


	8. LizardBreath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch understands unrequited love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, been a while, my bad!  
I bought a house with my husband and now we're having a baby sooooooo... been a little busy with that haha.  
This chapter feels like not a lot really happens but I actually quite like it.  
In any case I'll try to make the next one better!

Stretch just thought it was funny when Blue and the Creampuff retold the tale at dinner that night. He hasn't interacted with her much but he could feel her honesty.

Her soul would pulse with nerves when she was flustered, like that day in the garden that still makes him snicker to remember. It wasn't hatred towards monsters that made her nervous, that much he could tell. It was as if she had never talked to anyone before. And now she was just learning how to.

So it was a little funny.

Though...the crush that Blue had for her was very concerning. Just because she didn't hate monsters didn't mean she would want to date one. He didn't want his brothers adoration to end in tears and heartbreak. He kind of wished he'd been there to judge the situation. Maybe he could've seen something that would help him talk Blue into giving up.

But...thinking about it now....he wasn't the best person to discourage unrequited love.

Speaking of which.

Stretch got up from his seat at the dinner table, leaving his empty plate behind and shuffling up the stairs towards his bedroom.  
Blue noticed him leaving, but didn't say anything, just sighing and glaring at the empty plate in annoyance.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one to notice.

"say hi to your girlfriend for me." Red taunted, giving the taller skeleton a knowing smirk. Edge scoffed, a disgusted look on his skull. The others just ignored it or waved.

Stretch flipped Red off, unable to hold back the magic from tinting his cheekbones orange. Then shortcutted to the third floor; his room.

His computer flickered on quickly with the press of a button and it took no time to find the page he needed.

He'd been following the youtuber, **LizardBreath**, since a week after coming to this universe. Blue had sent him a link to one of her art videos where she just painted with some gentle piano in the background. It was so relaxing, and he didn't even fall asleep. He watched the whole video. Every brushstroke so gentle and calming. 

In the end, the painting wasn't of anything in particular. Just swirls and strokes of various shades of blue. 

But it's what he thinks of now everytime he wants to feel calm. Before that he was a bundle of paranoia and anxiety. Him and Blue in a new world; on the surface; with multiple copies of themselves. Never knowing when everything will reset and drag him back to his universe...to the **k i d**.

Sometimes it still overwhelms him, but not often.

It's been 8 months, afterall. 

Anyway; it was only after watching the video for the 6th time that he noticed a comment complimenting the backing music. 

LizardBreath had replied:

"Oh, thank you. It's just something I play for fun."

And then he went to her channel. She didn't just paint. 

She wrote music, played piano and guitar, sang, sculptured, drew, and any other kind of art he could think of. She even had videos where one of her subscribers would challenge her to a new art form. Sometimes she would fail, making her audience laugh with her about her disaster of a project. Other times she would succeed and he would see her eyes glitter with wonder at this amazing new thing she had learned. 

He fell hard.

He made an account to subscribe to her (Also to others so he didn't feel like such a creep):

**punpyrus**

Over the months he was pretty proud to have gone past just a subscriber. A month ago, he sent her a video of himself singing a song for her and playing his acoustic guitar. 

She thanked him privately, too embarrassed and flattered to do it in one of her monthly live streams. 

And then she asked him to collaborate with her. 

Apparently there were a few songs she'd always wanted to do but needed a male duet partner. He tried not to show how downright giddy he was at the prospect of singing with her. 

They worked so well together. 

Her fans started to ship them. 

She... admitted it could never happen. 

He was devastated but she didn't know he felt like that. It was just the fans went a little overboard and she didn't want to create a misunderstanding. 

So he just joked about it, like the rest of her fan base. At that, She grew more comfortable and joked back with them. His soul always pulsed with joy and desire when it happened.

Too bad he had never seen her face.

Like always, her stream loaded on his computer and he could see her usual dragon-skull shaped mask (the coincidence made him chuckle). All he could see of her face was her gorgeous eyes peeking through the mask. 

He put his headphones on just as she greeted the chat. 

"Hey guys! How was everyone this month?" 

Stretch felt his shoulders slump as the stress just washed away, he let out a joyful sigh. Then put his fingers to work on the keyboard. As everyone else started their greetings and questions.

**punpyrus: hey honey, how you doing?**

He watched her eyes sparkled as she read the comments, adjusting her acoustic guitar on her lap.  
"Punpyrus! What happened to our collab? You never got back to me!" She laughed, clearly not as annoyed as she was trying to seem.

His soul pounded whenever she said his username. He was so glad he chose something close to his real name. His magic stained his cheekbones once more when she laughed.

**punpyrus: sorry hun, had a lot going on. family moved house so i couldnt find my guitar.**

**LB x PP: MY SHIP. IT HERE.  
DarkOne: oof they're so cute. Those nicknames!**

LB rolled her eyes and dismissed the shipping comments. She started to fiddle with the strings of her guitar, occasionally strumming a chord.  
"You moved? Nice! What kind of house are you in? I know you said you have a big family. Hopefully this one fits you guys a lot better!" She replied, plucking a cheerful melody.

He chuckled when he thought of them all cramped up in Undyne and Alphys's apartment.

So they chatted away, Stretch didn't give away too much information about where he lived or who with. It was some unspoken agreement between them to keep their situations mysterious. 

Now and then a song would be requested and LizardBreath would play it for them if she knew it. Stretch didn't bother putting in requests, he was happy listening to everyone else's. Occasionally he would wonder how her mic picked her up so well when her mask covered her mouth but didn't really care enough to ask. 

He got to listen to her live, anyway. So he was happy.

Soon enough the others logged off and it was only the two of them left.  
They did what they usually did when it was just the two of them left. 

LizardBreath closed the live stream and they both got onto Skype instead. Stretch opted to leave his camera off for now. He didn't know where his usual mask was with all the boxes he neglected to unpack. So she would just have to listen to him instead, which she didn't seem to mind. Sometimes she wouldn't have her camera on either. 

The lazy skeleton was glad she left it on. He always liked seeing her. 

Neither of them actually talked that much. They occasionally swapped ideas for collaborations or he just listened to something she was working on that she wanted feedback for.

She was plucking at her guitar strings. It was a gentle and soft piece of music that made him yawn widely as he nestled his skull on his folded arms on his desk. His eyes blinking, sleepily; trying hard to keep open so he could watch her play as she hummed along. 

Soon enough, he lost the battle and his breathing turned slow as he drifted off. He didn't hear her pause her strumming. She learned closer to the screen, discovering he was asleep. 

A light chuckle, "Goodnight, my friend."  
Then the call ended, leaving the sleeping skeleton with dreams of warm voices and soft music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stretch: you can't love this human you just met!  
Blue: EXCUSE ME? -gestures wildly to Stretch, his computer, his guitar that he bought for the sole purpose of impressing a girl he's never met and his browsing history consisting of 90% LizardBreath-  
Stretch: yeah, but shutup tho
> 
> Stretches "mask" is just a piece of paper with two holes cut out for eyes and a smile drawn on.   
It made her laugh a lot, which made him keep it and use it whenever he could.


End file.
